Looming Nor'easter Shutters Credit Unions

Just three months after Hurricane Sandy devastated New York’s highly populated tri-state region region, another storm system is blasting through the Northeast that is expected to dump up to a foot to two feet of snow from New York to Maine.

“We have many credit unions that are closed for the day, and most others have announced an early closing, as we here at the league (office) have done,” Tony Emerson, president/CEO of the Credit Union League of Connecticut in Meriden, said Friday morning. “It’s already snowing here and we expect at least 18 inches of snow, with some forecasts calling for up to 35 inches in some areas.”

The Massachusetts Credit Union League office in Marlborough, Mass., also was closed Friday because of blizzard warnings posted by the National Weather Service.

League staff will be monitoring email and voice messages and responding to any inquiries throughout the day, Emerson said, adding that the state’s credit unions have access to the league’s staff 24/7.

“Our credit unions knew this blizzard was coming and are prepared,” said Rob Kimmett, senior vice president of the MCUL. “It has been the top news item for the past three or four days.”

Blizzard warnings were posted for parts of New Jersey and New York’s Long Island as well as areas of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

“This is going to be a dangerous winter storm,” Alan Dunham, NWS meteorologist in Taunton, Mass., told CBS News. “Wherever you need to get to, get there by Friday afternoon and don’t plan on leaving.”